‘Super Size Me’ Director Morgan Spurlock Dead at 53 After Private Cancer Battle

Morgan Spurlock – who rose to fame for directing the documentary Super Size Me – has died at the age of 53 following a private cancer battle.

His family confirmed that he died on Thursday, May 23.

"It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity,” his brother, Craig Spurlock, said in a statement on Friday, May 24. “The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him."

Spurlock is survived by two sons, Laken and Kallen, whom he shared with ex-wives Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.

Spurlock and Bernstein settled their divorce just three months before he died. "It’s heartbreaking news. I know Morgan as a wonderful person to work for, very appreciative of his family, and devoted to the health and well-being of his children -- in addition to being a great filmmaker," Randi L. Karmel, the attorney who represented Spurlock in the matrimonial action, said in a statement. "The parties amicably settled all outstanding issues between them prior to his death.

“My thoughts are with Morgan's family at this very difficult time," Karmel's statement concluded.

Spurlock was arguably best known for directing and starring in the 2004 documentary film Super Size Me, which earned him an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category. The film followed Spurlock as he participated in a challenge to only eat meals from McDonald's for an entire month while examining the fast food industry.

Super Size Me left a lasting impression of the food documentary genre, as well as the way people view fast food. Spurlock reflected on making the film during a 2010 interview with Civil Eats, revealing that he didn’t plan to make another food documentary.

“There are great films that are out there that deal with food, [and] I think if there’s a way I can help champion some of those other filmmakers, I’d rather do that than go into making another food movie,” he said at the time. “For me, movies have to be something that if you don’t [make them], then you are going to go crazy. If you don’t tell this story, if you don’t put it on a page, if you don’t put it on film, then it is literally going to affect your brain from this moment forward. There may be something that comes along that kind of strikes me in that way, and if it does, I’ll have to tell it.”

He also previously reflected on the legacy surrounding Super Size Me, noting that the single film made him a household name. “The minute you call up, certain people know who you are. Or the minute you make the second phone call they’ll know who you are and will have questions about it,” Spurlock told Docs on Screen in 2019. “It’s a blessing because it opens a lot of doors. It’s a curse because it closes a lot of doors. You have to lean into the upside of the doors that are actually opened.”

In addition to Super Size Me, Spurlock directed the films Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden (2008), The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011) and the sequel Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017).